"She was in posterior position": Ella Georgia's birth

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Vicki Greensmith lives with her husband Aidan in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Their little girl is called Ella. This is Vicki's lively account of how Ella came into the world, with a very long labour and a happy ending.

Experiencing irregular contractions

My mother had very quick, straightforward experiences when giving birth to both me and my younger brother. Foolishly, I had expected a similar experience. Little did I know!

I am a physiotherapist who has also worked in obstetrics. In recent months I had confidently been advising mums that with good positioning and coping techniques, most of them would have a fairly straightforward birth...

I was due on the Saturday. I was enormous and ready for the birth when I finally went into labour the following Thursday, five days late.

I started with some mild period pain-type twinges on the Thursday morning and knew immediately that I was going into labour. All I can say is that the sensation was subtle but entirely unlike anything else I had experienced throughout the pregnancy.

The pains gradually got worse until I was experiencing some pretty hefty contractions by teatime. At around this time I had a small amount of bleeding, and phoned the hospital because I was worried. They advised me to go in for a check.

By the time I got there my contractions were worse - and measuring pretty high on the cardiotocograph (CTG) monitor. The problem was their irregularity. They were severe but ranged from every two to 15 minutes.

The midwife did a vaginal examination and said that the blood had been my mucus plug coming away. She also said that I was only 1cm dilated. I was reassured and sent home with advice to phone the hospital again when my contractions became more regular.

During that night the level of pain escalated. It eventually reached a point at which I was entirely unable to do anything else but try to deal with it.

I tried the warm bath, the paracetamol (ha, that’s a laugh!) and the TENS, which did slightly take the edge off the pain.

One of the things that shocked me about labour was how I could go from writhing blind agony one minute, to nothing. Sometimes I was able to chat, walk, watch TV and then...bam! Back to agony in a split second.

That night I got absolutely no sleep and the pains grew worse and worse.

Managing a slow labour

The next day was Friday, and by lunchtime I just didn't know what to do with myself. I was in so much pain, but I still had the same problem, with contractions between two and 12 minutes apart.

I phoned the labour ward between contractions and explained. The midwife could clearly sense that I was struggling. She explained that one of the only things I could do to progress the labour was to go for a walk. I bit the bullet and went.

By the time we reached our destination, my contractions were three minutes apart. We called my dad, who was on standby to get us if needed. I phoned the ward and was advised to make my way in.

At about 2pm we arrived at admissions, where I was examined and monitored. Now the contractions were off the scale on the CTG, and coming every three to five minutes. On examination, I was now dilated by 1.5cm. I couldn't comprehend that I had experienced such extreme pain, for so long, for a poxy 1.5cm.

I was sent to a general obstetrics ward. In the same bay was a woman who had been admitted for bleeding with placenta praevia at 33 weeks. This poor woman had to sit listening to me groaning and writhing around in agony through each contraction.

I was given pethidine, which made me vomit for England. I didn't care. Roll on the next dose! This went on for what seemed like an eternity. Five hours later I was re-examined, with very little change. Eight hours later I was examined and had finally reached a colossal 3cm.

During this time, when I underwent CTG monitoring, the midwives were apparently struggling to find the baby's heartbeat. I knew that all was well with the baby as movements continued regularly, but I did sense that something was amiss.

When I finally got to the labour ward, at about 1am on Saturday, I was given Syntocinon (oxytocin) to speed up my labour, plus my fabulous epidural. I was “with it” - not like with pethidine or gas and air. I could talk, laugh and thoroughly enjoy the remaining portion of my labour.

Previously, I had felt such a level of pain that I was in a sort of daze. Also I had not slept for more than 36 hours. Now I was so relaxed and comfortable that I could sleep. The experience of having the epidural was a breeze. I was offered gas and air whilst the epidural was carried out, but I really didn't need it.

The challenges of a posterior baby

As the labour progressed throughout the course of that day, now Saturday if you've lost track, the midwife did a further examination. “Ooooh,” she said, as she ferreted around down there. “This explains the slow progress and the pain.”

It turned out that my baby was lying in an occipito-posterior (OP) position, basically back to back, and also had her head slightly twisted and flexed to the side.

The midwife told us that first-time mums find it really difficult to give birth to babies who are lying in this position. She said that I would almost certainly need some assistance, forceps or ventouse, if not a caesarean section.

The plan was to get me to about 9cm, take me to theatre and try an assisted birth. If that didn't work, they would perform a caesarean section. There was a chance that the contractions of labour could act to turn the baby around.

At about 1pm I was re-examined. Good news! The baby had turned and I was told that I should be able to give birth as normal. At about 3pm I got a strong urge to push. I felt a bearing-down on my back passage.

The midwife examined me and said that, although I was 10cm, the baby remained very high. She was willing to let me have a go at pushing. If pushing didn't shift the baby down in the first few attempts, we were to wait another hour or so for the baby to come down naturally. Apparently, this is normal with epidurals.

I had absolutely no doubt in my head that I was going to give birth to my baby, and had no intention of waiting another hour. With masses of support from a wonderful midwife and a fab husband, my little girl, Ella Georgia, was born weighing 3.7kg (8lb 4oz).

The epidural had no impact on my ability to push, as it turned out that the baby had in fact not turned back around. I had delivered her in the OP position within about 30 minutes.

I think that the long wait had given me such a resolve that wild horses and super glue wouldn't have stopped me from giving birth!

My placenta, with which my husband had a strange fixation and admiration, was delivered with one last push. After giving birth they could wheel a JCB up there and you wouldn't feel a thing!

I had a deep, grade-two tear, almost front to back, and had a fair few stitches which I could hardly feel.

Relaxing after the birth

I can honestly say that the moment Ella was born, the whole labour, all three days of it, seemed like nothing. It was utterly insignificant. I would have gone through everything another 10 times and not batted an eyelid for the experience of her being handed to me.

My husband cried for about three hours and me not much less. We were ecstatic. And 15 months later, if truth be told, we still are.

The hospital was fantastic. They put up a camp bed for Aidan in a private room for us and made both of us a delicious cup of tea. Yes, I did say “delicious” about an NHS hospital cuppa! We settled down to spend our first night together as a family of three.

All in all, despite the dramas, labour was a wonderful experience which I wouldn't worry about in the slightest next time. In fact I think I would look forward to it. I know it's a cliché, but honestly, the pain is forgotten in an instant and the high is unreal.

Last reviewed: August 2014

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